Nutrients and phytonutrients as promising epigenetic nutraceuticals

Dietary stilbenes as modulators of specific miRNAs in prostate cancer

“…Polyphenols act on multiple targets in signaling pathways related to inflammation, oxidative stress and DNA damage, carcinogenesis, tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis ( Asensi et al, 2011 ; Zhao et al, 2020 ; Khan et al, 2021 ; Rudrapal et al, 2022 ). Studies over the past two decades have led to the development of the concept of “epigenetic prevention and therapy” for cancer, which includes regulation of genes by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) ( Shukla et al, 2019 ; Levenson, 2021 ). Non-coding RNAs regulate chromatin architecture ( Taft et al, 2009 ) and control gene expression by negatively regulating gene expression through a number of mechanisms ( Filipowicz et al, 2008 ).…”

“…Numerous studies have investigated miRNA profiles and their regulation by dietary phytochemicals, and the accumulated data implicate natural polyphenols as attractive miRNA-mediated chemopreventive and therapeutic strategy options in solid tumors and hematological cancers ( Dhar et al, 2011 ; Vanden Berghe, 2012 ; Kumar et al, 2016 ; Levenson and Kumar, 2020 ; Levenson, 2021 ). Prostate cancer is ideal disease for nutritional chemoprevention in the general population of elderly men due to its slow progression in and dependence on diet ( Peisch et al, 2017 ; Matsushita et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Chemopreventive effects of dietary stilbenes are mainly due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity but also direct targeting of multiple signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis, cancer progression and metastasis. Importantly, accumulated data suggest that the beneficial effects of dietary stilbenes may be in part attributed to their epigenetic properties, including regulation of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and, notably, modulation of the expression of miRNAs/miRs ( Kumar et al, 2015 ; Kumar et al, 2016 ; Kumar and Levenson, 2018 ; Levenson, 2021 ).…”